KU Basketball: Can Jayhawks Overcome Terrapins Size

Maryland has the height advantage heading into their matchup with the Jayhawks. Is it enough to down the top-seeded KU Basketball team?

Kansas’ perimeter scoring coupled with Perry Ellis’ scoring make them a tough team to beat. One thing Maryland has going for them is that every one of their starters is taller than each corresponding Kansas starter.

At point guard, Maryland features their team leader in points and assists, Melo Trimble. At 6’3, Trimble certainly has a size advantage over 5’11 Frank Mason. The problem for Trimble is that his skill set may not allow him to fully take advantage of the size mismatch. Trimble only shoots 32 percent from the three point line. As a result, there’s no guarantee Mason’s size deficiency will lead to an astronomical game for Trimble from beyond the arc.

Trimble’s only remaining choice is to try overpower Mason on attacks to the rim. Evidenced by Trimble’s 50 percent shooting two pointers, he appears more suited for this, but his size advantage is lessened once he attacks the rim. Trimble must go through Landen Lucas‘ help defense if he expects to finish in the paint.

Trimble’s size may not play a huge factor on offense. Still, I believe it will definitely prove advantageous when guarding Mason on defense. Trimble is already a good perimeter defender, and his size will certainly not make things easier for Mason.

Maryland’s other starting guard, Rasheed Sulaimon, is Maryland’s best three point shooter with a percentage of 43.3 percent. Devonte’ Graham will most likely be tasked with guarding Sulaimon. At 6’2, Graham is at a size disadvantage to 6’5 Sulaimon.

More from Kansas Jayhawks

These three inches may be enough for Sulaimon to feel more comfortable shooting threes. If this occurs, and Sulaimon gets hot, Maryland’s offense will benefit greatly from the spacing. What’s worse is that Sulaimon may also be able to take advantage of the size mismatch on the defensive end.

Although Trimble is a slightly better defender than Sulaimon, Graham’s size disadvantage may play a factor in Sulaimon’s performance beyond the arc. It appears that Sulaimon may see a tangible gain from his extra size on both offense and defense. As a result, Trimble and Sulaimon may have the edge from a pure matchup standpoint in the backcourt, but what about the frontcourt?

At the wing, Jake Layman is a versatile defender who also displays efficiency on the offensive end. At 6’9, Layman presents a huge matchup problem for 6’5 Wayne Selden. This is because Layman is Maryland’s second best three point shooter with a percentage of 40.7% and makes 60.6% of his two pointers. Layman will certainly be able to take advantage of Selden’s lack of size at the wing on offense, but maybe not on defense.

Layman may be too oversized to guard Selden on the perimeter, and this could prove beneficial to Selden’s three point numbers. Although Selden may be able to outplay Layman at the three point line, there is little hope for Selden to be able to drive on Layman. His chances are especially pessimistic when considering that Selden has the worst free throw percentage among Kansas’ starters.

Live Feed

SEC Basketball: What is each team's deepest NCAA Tournament run? /

South Bound & Down

Catching Up: Tamika Catchings talks Coke Zero ad, Caitlin Clark, and moreFanSided

SI Sportsbook Michigan Promo Code Ending: Bet $20, Win $200 This WeekGBMWolverine

USC Basketball Recruiting News: Collier shines in McDonald’s All-Star Game Reign of Troy

March Madness 2023: Sights and sounds from NCAA championship gameBusting Brackets

Caitlin Clark breaks silence on Angel Reese trash talk controversyBusting Brackets

Luckily for Kansas, this is where Maryland’s size advantage starts to wane. At power forward sits Kansas’ leading scorer and defensive rebounder Perry Ellis. At 6’8, Ellis offensive game will not be affected by the inch difference between him and Maryland’s Robert Carter.

Ellis not only has the ability to score down low, but his ability to shoot threes efficiently will make him a tough assignment for Carter. Carter will not make things nearly as difficult on defense for Ellis. Regardless, there is still an interesting battle that will take place between Ellis and Carter on Thursday.

Ellis and Carter are both good rebounders, but the stats appear to favor Carter in this regard. This may be a result of Ellis perimeter game, and not a lack of effort and physicality by Ellis. Ellis three point capabilities pull him away from the basket. This gives Ellis less opportunity for rebounds. Carter may be able to take advantage of this, but it may not matter. Ellis’ three pointers appear to be of more value than Carter’s extra rebounds.

This center matchup is another case of one inch height difference. Kansas’ Lucas is 6’10 while Maryland’s Diamond Stone is 6’11. At first glance, Stone appears to be the better player. After close examination, you will find that Lucas is more valuable to his team. Stone scored significantly more than Lucas and recorded more blocks. Despite this, Lucas adds more value to his team through his superior defense. This defense is quantified by his defensive rating per 100 possessions of 91.5 compared to Stone’s 97.3.

More from KC Kingdom

Both have good defensive ratings, but Lucas’ decreased scoring output definitely pays off on the defensive end. Lucas’ rim protection may be why analytics favor Kansas’ defense. Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings ranked Kansas fifth in strength of schedule-adjusted defensive efficiency. In addition Lucas may also in turn help mitigate the size mismatches on the perimeter. It would seem it is not all up to him though.

The size advantages of Trimble, Sulaimon, and Layman will really only hinder Kansas’ offensive production in certain cases. If the players abandon Bill Self‘s plays, or even if the ball stops, this could be problematic for Kansas basketball. If the ball stops moving and either Mason, Graham, or Selden try to play isolation basketball, the Jayhawks will not be able to score.

Otherwise, good passing should give Mason, Graham, and Selden enough separation to hit threes. This in turn should spread things out for Ellis. Either way, Ellis will be able to handle himself down low. He should see ample opportunity to hit threes also. With few players in college basketball being able to guard Ellis effectively on the perimeter, Maryland appears to have no answer to him.

In terms of defending Trimple, Sulaimon, and Layman, Kansas may have to play some Kansas basketball and just flat out score more points than Maryland. My assumption is that Mason, Graham, and Selden will have their hands full on the defensive end, but I believe that Kansas will still be able to score more points than Mason, Graham, and Selden give up.

Next: Find out which coach was named Kansas basketball's greatest

If things go south for Maryland like I predict, it is my hope that Bill Self will decide to substitute Mason with a bigger guard. I say this because, a bigger guard will better defend Trimble when he abandons the playbook and starts playing hero ball. Late game heroics by Trimble, or even Sulaimon or Layman, could certainly be troublesome for the Jayhawks if Mason, Graham, and Selden are too undersized to prevent Maryland’s window from swinging open.

These sort of low probability March miracles are really the only thing that could derail Kansas’ chances of advancing, in my opinion. After evaluating the possible outcomes of each matchup, and accounting for some Self savvy, I feel confident that the Kansas Jayhawks will defeat the Maryland Terrapins and advance to the elite eight. Maryland’s size advantages on the perimeter will simply not be enough to overcome Kansas’ potent offense and their game-changing front court.

Do you think Maryland’s size advantage will be a factor against Kansas on Thursday?

Home/Kansas Jayhawks